US hopes Pakistan is aware of its nuclear responsibilities

Washington: The US has said that it is confident that Pakistan is well aware of its responsibilities regarding its nuclear weapons.

“The United States is confident that Pakistan is well aware of its responsibilities with respect to nuclear security and has secured its nuclear arsenal accordingly,” the State Department said in a statement yesterday.

The US has stated this clearly earlier too, including in a State Department press statement of September 4, 2013 and the October 23, 2013 US-Pakistan Joint Statement issued as part of the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He also recognised that Pakistan is fully engaged with the international community on nuclear safety and security issues, the statement said.

The US statement came after a new report in The New York Times raised questions over the security of the Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals.

In Islamabad, Pakistan claimed that it follows best practises and standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency to safeguard its nuclear assets and it has an impeccable record of safely operating nuclear power plants for over 40 years.